TL;DR
Wavell 4 Pro aims to deliver Danish audio excellence, but does it truly stand among the giants? While the unboxing experience starts strong, the reality is a mix of impressive call quality and frustrating design choices. The plasticky feel and a backward-seated case design hinder the user experience, while the sound profile—though clear—stumbles with a surprising lack of bass. More controversially, the review highlights striking similarities to budget Chinese models that cost a third of the price, sparking a debate over value and origin. With decent battery life and a robust app, there is functionality here, but does it justify the premium price tag? Explore the full breakdown of features, performance, and the rebranding mystery to see if these earbuds are worth your money. Read the full article to uncover the truth behind the Wavell 4 Pro.
The Danish company Wavell was started by three high school friends with the ambition of creating affordable headphones with high sound quality. The legendary company Bang & Olufsen is also Danish, which indirectly provides a sense of quality just because Wavell comes from the same country.
When I get the box home, it exudes quality. It is a nicely designed package, and when I open it, the case is lying there waiting for me. But the second I touch the box, all sense of quality disappears. It feels plasticky and simple. The size and design are not major problems in themselves, but the feel drags down the overall impression, and when I open it, my heart sinks further.
Design problems and user experience
A friend of mine has an expression: ”It has been afflicted by design”, and that is exactly what has happened here. The headphones are seated the opposite way compared to what one is used to, with the tips facing inward, not on each side as normal. This leads directly to frustration when putting the buds back, as they always end up facing the wrong way and can also be placed in the wrong order.
There is no reasonable reason to do it this way, other than a desperate attempt to be different. But Wavell doesn’t even succeed at that, which I will return to further down.
App, installation and features
I download the Wavell app to my phone. The case is almost fully charged upon delivery, so I don’t need to charge it first.
Once the app is installed, there are no problems connecting the buds. There are many settings: pre-programmed EQ modes, the ability to create a custom sound profile, customization of touch controls, and several modes of noise cancellation.
So far so good.
Fit and call quality
When I put on the buds, they fit well and feel stable without the risk of falling out. I start by calling a friend to test the call quality. The sound is clear and the person on the other end hears me clearly, even in a somewhat noisy environment.
Sound test – the music experience
The next step is the music test. I choose Heart Upon My Sleeve by Avicii, a song I know well and often use to assess the soundstage. In the beginning of the song, there is no bass, which makes it easy to hear treble and instrument separation.
So, initially, it actually sounds really good. The sound is clear and not particularly muddy. But when the bass kicks in, it is almost non-existent. Granted, they are in-ear headphones, so I don’t expect massive bass, but significantly more than this. For a price of nearly 1,500 SEK, this is not acceptable.
Similarities with QCY – and the question of price
We tested Wavell 4 Signature previously on senses.se and saw clear similarities with Chinese QCY headphones: same performance, same appearance. I therefore started investigating the matter and sure enough – QCY has a TWS model with the same case, the same annoying insertion, and very similar specifications. The biggest difference is the price: the QCY buds cost a third of what Wavell 4 Pro costs.
It could, of course, be that QCY copied Wavell, but the QCY model was released in March 2024 and Wavell’s version didn’t arrive until 2025…
My feeling that Wavell 4 Pro is actually a budget headphone from China with a new exterior and a nice box is further reinforced when I notice that all modes of noise cancellation are exactly the same—zero difference.
I can’t prove anything, but the feeling is strong. These headphones simply feel like products in the 500 SEK range.
Performance, battery and controls
Regardless, the Wavell 4 Pro has clear and nice sound, even if it lacks bass; the noise cancellation that is present is quite effective, and the battery life is around 30 hours with ANC enabled and 34 with ANC disabled. The case holds approximately three charges, and that is quite accurate.
The touch controls on the buds work okay; I occasionally found them a bit sluggish, but since you can set them up however you want, the quality is decent. So if they had cost a third of the price, they would definitely have been in the upper tier for that price range. Now, with the higher price tag, they are rather at the bottom.
In summary, I am quite disappointed with Wavell 4 Pro. For this price, I would have expected significantly more. There are many better alternatives in the same price range, and if it also turns out that these are practically repackaged budget headphones, the rating drops even further.
I can’t prove it—only speculate—so I’ll let the rating stand at the level the headphones actually perform.
Wavell sent test samples for this review. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests.
